Protective boot for distributor caps and the like

ABSTRACT

A protective boot for an ignition system component housed in a housing having a base with a cap mounted thereon. The cap is of the type which is formed with a plurality of upstanding towers formed with passages for receipt of electrical leads leading from various electrical components in the ignition system. The boot includes a flexible jacket for closely fitting the cap and a plurality of flexible inverted cups for closely overfitting the towers and projecting beyond the upper ends of such towers to form respective nipples defining bores for passage of the electrical leads. The nipples are formed to closely fit the leads to form a seal therearound. A flexible skirt is formed by the lower extremity of the jacket for projection over the joint between the housing base and cap whereby the boot may be installed on the housing to form a tight seal around each of the electrical leads and also over the joint formed between the cap and base to thereby positively seal the electrical component against atmospheric dirt and moisture.

Estes PROTECTIVE BOOT FOR DISTRIBUTOR CAPS AND THE LIKE 5] Feb. 29, 1972 Primary Examiner-Laramie E. Askin Attorney-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht [72] Inventor: Stanley E. Estes, 543 W. 18th Street,

Gardena, Calif. 90247 I [57 ABSTRACT Filed: l 1970 A protective boot for an ignition system component housed in a housing having a base with a cap mounted thereon. The cap Appl' usss is of the type which is formed with a plurality of upstanding towers formed with passages for receipt of electrical leads [52] U.S.Cl. ..l74/l38 F, l23/ 143 C, 200/ I9 WG, leading from various electrical components in the ignition 339/26 system. The boot includes a flexible jacket for closely fitting [51] Int. cl. ..ll01h 19/06, Hon- 13/52 the p n a p l y of flexi le inv rted cups for closely 58 Field of Search 1 74/74 A, 77 s, l-38 F, 139; everfittins the towers and Projecting beyond the upper ends of 339/26, 116 R, 116 C; l23/ 143 C, 169 P, 169 FA, Such towers to form respective nipples defining bores for 9 p 0 9 R, 19 1 3 G, 3 H passage of the electrical leads. The nipples are formed to closely fit the leads to form a seal therearound. A flexible skirt [55] m- Cited is formed by the lower extremity of the jacket for projection over the joint between the housing base and cap whereby the UNIT ED STATES PATENTS boot may be installed on the housing to form a tight seal around each of the electrical leads and also over the joint 1,569,101 1/1926 Vaughn ..200/l9 WG UX formed between the cap and base to thereby positively Seal the 1,748,650 2/1930 Hollenbeck "200/19 wG Ux electrical component against atmospheric dirt and moisture. 2,835,724 5/1958 Colbert ..l23/l43 C UX 2,904,769 9/1959 Sampson et al. ..l74/77 S X 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures p z; 4/ a 27 .1..- JJ Z9 16 J3 I 1 PROTECTIVE BOOT FOR DISTRIBUTOR CAPS. AND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to relatively flexible inexpensive boots for installation on anignition system distributor housing and coil housing to form an envelope which effective- 1 ly seals allthe openings in such housings from entry of atmospheric dirt and moisture.

2. Description of the Prior Art Electrical shields have been proposed for spark plugwires and distributor caps and the like. Various electrical shielding is shown in US. Pat. Nos. 2,987,587 and 2,835,724. However, applicant is not aware of any inexpensive protective boots for installation over a distributor cap or coil housing to form a seal around electrical wires leading therefrom and around the joint between the cap and base of the housing to thereby form an enclosed envelope which protects the component within the housing from atmospheric dirt and moisture. This feature becomes particularly important with the advent of off-theroad racing and dune buggy activity, and marine engine operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The protective boot of the present invention is intended for installation on a distributor or coil housing or the like wherein the housing capincludes a plurality'of upwardly projecting towers and a joint is formed between the cap and base of the housing. The boot is characterized by a flexible jacket for closely fitting the cap and formed in its upper extremity with a plurality of flexible inverted cups for closely overfitting the towers. The cups project upwardly beyond the upper ends of the respective towers to form nipples which closely fit the electrical leads projecting from such towers to seal therewith. A flexible skirt is formed by the bottom extremity of the jacket for closely fitting the joint between the cap and housing base to thereby prevent entry of moisture and dirt. Consequently, the protective boot may be installed on a distributor or coil housing to form an envelope therearound to positively block entry of moisture and dirt into the housing to thereby protect the housed electrical components from moisture and dirt which may accumulate to cause shorts and unwanted sparkmg.

An object of the present invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive protective boot which may conveniently be installed on a distributor housing to prevent entry of moisture and dirt through joints and openings therein and to protect previously exposed high-voltage surfaces from conductive deposits of moisture, dust, mud, etc.

Another object of thepresent invention is to provide a protective boot of the type described which closely fits the contour of the entire housing to thereby prevent accumulation thereunder of moisture or dirt.

These and other objects and the advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective boot embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational side view of the protective boot shown in FIG. 1 being installed on a distributor cap;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 4, the boot, generally designated 21, of present invention is conveniently made of a relatively thin flexible vinyl dispersion and includes a cylindrical jacket 25 for closely fitting the cylindrical body portion 27 of a distribu- O tor cap, generally designated 29. The boot 21 includes a plurality of upwardly projecting inverted cups 31 which closely fit the towers 35 of the distributor cap 29 and project therebeyond to form respective nipples 39. The nipples 39 are formed to closely fit the coated spark plug wires leading from the individual towers 35. The lower extremity of the jacket 25 is formed with a skirt 43 which covers the joint 45 formed between the distributor cap 29 and the distributor housing base 47. Consequently, the highly flexible boot 21 may be easily installed on the distributor cap 29 and will form a tight seal around each of the individual spark plug wires and the distributor coil wire and over the joint 45 between such cap and the distributor housing base 47 to thereby form a sealed envelope to prevent admission of atmospheric moisture and dirt to the distributor components.

Conventional distributor cap covers 29 for internal combustion engines are normally formed with a central upwardly projecting tower'35 having a bore therein for passage of a coated electrical wire leading from the secondary coil of the ignition system coil assembly and with a plurality of upwardly projecting towers 35 arranged therearound in the pattern of a circle for passage of the coated electrical wires leading to the respective spark plugs. Obviously, the number of towers would depend on the number of cylinders for the particular engine involved and the particular boot 21 would be formed with the number and pattern of inverted cups 31 which correspond to the number and pattern of towers 35.

Referring to FIG. 4, many of the distributor caps 29 in current model automobiles are formed on their lower extremities with a male flange 51 which overlies the upper portion of the base 47. These flanges 51 are formed with a plurality of vertical bosses 53 which have vertical bores therein for receipt of mounting screws 55 that extend therethrough and screw into threaded bores in the base 47 for holding the cap 29 in position. The boot 21 is formed with a radially outwardly projecting rib 59 for closely overfitting the flange 51 and has a plurality of semicylindrical vertical ears 61 formed therein to define respective chambers for receipt of the respective bosses 53. The upper extremities of the ears 61 are formed with circular openings 62 which receive hard plastic covers 64 whereby such covers may be conveniently removed for access to the screwheads 55.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the upwardly projecting nipples 39 formed by the upper extremity of the cups 31 include a pair of integral O-rings 63 and 65 for closely fitting the leads pro- 55 jecting from the respective towers 35 to cooperate therewith in forming an airtight seal.

The boot 2] may be made in any conventional manner and the embodiment shown is conveniently formed by heating a male model of a distributor cap 27 to approximately 350 F., dipping it into a molten bath of vinyl dispersion, and then baking the vinyl dispersion covered mold at 350 F. for approximately 15 minutes. The resultant highly flexible thin wall closely fits the contour of the cap 29 and provides a tough and highly flexible boot. Obviously, other commercially available materials may be employed.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the boot 21 may be conveniently installed by turning the skirt 43 and jacket 25 back on themselves and fitting the cups 31 over the respective towers 35 and unrolling the jacket 25 downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3 and, thereafter, rolling the skirt 43 down over the flange 51 to tightly seal the joint 45. Then the spark plug leads and coil leads may be coated with a lubricant, such as silicone, and inserted through the respective nipples 39 to engage their prong-type ends with the respective sockets in the distributor.

For convenience of the user, the boot 21 and cap 29 are normally sold as a unit and the user need only remove the covers 64 so the mounting screws 55 may be installed. Thereafter, the spark plug and coil wires may be installed as described hereinabove. In this manner, the user will be assured of starting with a clean new assembly which is free from any dirt ormoisture which may fonn a conductive path.

The distributor cap 29 may easily be removed by removing the covers 64 and inserting a screwdriver through the respective openings 62 to unscrew the screws 55. The skirt 43 may then be rolled up and the cap 29 removed. It is noted that for a distributor cap assembly utilizing spring clips to hold the cap 29 in place, such clips will be received within the respective chambers defined by the ears 61. With the distributor boot 21 installed, a tight seal is formed around each of the spark plug wires and the coil wire by the respective nipples 39 and integral seals 63 and 65 and also around the mating joint 45 between the cap 29 and base 47. Further, the boot 21 closely fits the contour of the cap 29 to thereby prevent the accumulation of dirt and moisture around the phenolic housing 29 which may induce repeated spark conduction along a path resulting in what is frequently termed carbon tracking causing breakdown of the phenolic housing along such path to form a conductive path.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the second embodiment depicted of the present invention includes an ignition coil cap cover, generally designated 71, which is formed with a cylindrical jacket 73 for overfitting the coil housing cover and a pair of relatively small upwardly projecting inverted cups 75 and 77 for overfitting the primary coil towers formed in the cap of a conventional coil cover. The respective inverted cups 75 and 77 are formed on their upward extremities with upwardly projecting respective nipples 79 and 81 which closely fit the coated wires leading from the primary coil of the distributor and seal therewith.

' A central inverted cup 83 is formed to overfit the secondary coil tower and is also formed on its upper extremity with a nip- The coil boot 71 may be installed by projecting the coated primary coil wires through the nipples 79 and 81 and fastening the ends thereof with the opposite ends of the primary coil. Thereafter, the coil cap may be installed on the coil housing and the skirt 89 folded downwardly to closely fit and seal with the upper extremity of the coil housing. Thereafter, the secondary coil lead may be inserted through the nipple 85 and forced downwardly to engage with the socket therefor. In this manner, the coil boot 71 will form a moisture and dirt tight envelope around the coil cap to prevent contamination of the coil by dirt and moisture.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the ignition system component boot of the present invention provides a convenient and efi'ective means for protecting the distributor and coil of an internal combustion engine ignition system from moisture and dirt to thereby assure quick starting and effective operation. Protection of this type is particularly important in off-the-road operation of vehicles such as in cross'country races and the like. Further, the close fitting of the covers and the highly flexible tough walls thereof enable the leads to be bent at relatively sharp angles while still maintaining an effective seal against entry of moisture and dirt.

. Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to the foregoing without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. Combination protective boot and cap for an ignition system component housed in a base and comprising:

a cap for being mounted on said base and formed with a bod havin a luralit of u standin towers r n theri efrom a nd Each foi med 5am a pa ssage for aft i or i of electrical leads leading from said component;

a removable boot inclu;ing a flexible jacket closely fitting said body, a plurality of flexible inverted cups on the upper end of said jacket closely fitting the respective towers and projecting beyond the ends thereof to form respective individual nipples defining passages for receipt of the respective leads, said nipples being fonned to closely fit said leads and seal therewith; and a flexible resilient skirt on the lower extremity of said jacket projecting downwardly past the lower end of said body to extend over the joint between said base and cap when said cap is assembled on said base to hermetically seal said joint against the entry of dirt and cooperating with said jacket and cups to define an envelope stretched over said cap and closely fitting the contour thereof to prevent entry and collection of moisture and dirt between said boot and cap whereby said cups may be fitted over said towers, said jacket fitted down over said cap, said skirt fitted over said joint, and said leads fitted through said nipples and connected with said component to thereby form a tight seal around each of said leads and over said joint. 2. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said cap is formed with a peripheral flange for overfitting said base at said joint and includes bosses for receipt of mounting screws, and wherein: said skirt is formed with a peripheral ring for overfitting said flange and including interior cavities for receipt of said bosses and mounting screws. I 3. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said cap is formed with a relatively large secondary coil tower and a pair of relatively small primary coil towers and wherein: one of said cups is relatively large for overfitting said secondary coil tower and the remainder of said cups are formed by a pair of relatively small cups for overfitting said primary coil towers. 4. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: g 7

said cap includes a central coil tower and a plurality of surrounding spark plug towers and wherein: one of said cups is disposed centrally and formed to overfit said coil tower and the remainder of said cups are disposed around the central cup for overfitting said spark plug towers. v 5. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said cap includes fasteners on opposite sides thereof: said skirt is formed with ears defining chambers for receipt of said fasteners, the tops of said chambers being formed with access openings and said boot further including covers for said openings. 6. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said nipples are formed with peripheral interior seals for sealing with said leads. 7. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said skirt is formed with an interior peripheral seal for sealing with said base. 8. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said skirt is formed with a continuous interior peripheral seal for sealing with said base. I 9. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said boot is made of vinyl dispersion and is sufficiently flexible and thin walled to enable said skirt to be easily turned back over said jacket. 

1. Combination protective boot and cap for an ignition system component housed in a base and comprising: a cap for being mounted on said base and formed with a body having a plurality of upstanding towers projecting therefrom and each formed with a passage for extension of electrical leads leading from said component; a removable boot including a flexible jacket closely fitting said body, a plurality of flexible inverted cups on the upper end of said jacket closely fitting the respective towers and projecting beyond the ends thereof to form respective individual nipples defining passages for receipt of the respective leads, said nipples being formed to closely fit said leads and seal therewith; and a flexible resilient skirt on the lower extremity of said jacket projecting downwardly past the lower end of said body to extend over the joint between said base and cap when said cap is assembled on said base to hermetically seal said joint against the entry of dirt and cooperating with said jacket and cups to define an envelope stretched over said cap and closely fitting the contour thereof to prevent entry and collection of moisture and dirt between said boot and cap whereby said cups may be fitted over said towers, said jacket fitted down over said cap, said skirt fitted over said joint, and said leads fitted through said nipples and connected with said component to thereby form a tight seal around each of said leads and over said joint.
 2. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said cap is formed with a peripheral flange for overfitting said base at said joint and includes bosses for receipt of mounting screws, and wherein: said skirt is formed with a peripheral ring for overfitting said flange and including interior cavities for receipt of said bosses and mounting screws.
 3. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said cap is formed with a relatively large secondary coil tower and a pair of relatively small primary coil towers and wherein: one of said cups is relatively large for overfitting said secondary coil tower and the remainder of said cups are formed by a pair of relatively small cups for overfitting said primary coil towers.
 4. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said cap includes a central coil tower and a pluraLity of surrounding spark plug towers and wherein: one of said cups is disposed centrally and formed to overfit said coil tower and the remainder of said cups are disposed around the central cup for overfitting said spark plug towers.
 5. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said cap includes fasteners on opposite sides thereof: said skirt is formed with ears defining chambers for receipt of said fasteners, the tops of said chambers being formed with access openings and said boot further including covers for said openings.
 6. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said nipples are formed with peripheral interior seals for sealing with said leads.
 7. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said skirt is formed with an interior peripheral seal for sealing with said base.
 8. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said skirt is formed with a continuous interior peripheral seal for sealing with said base.
 9. A combination boot and cap as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said boot is made of vinyl dispersion and is sufficiently flexible and thin walled to enable said skirt to be easily turned back over said jacket. 